International trade theories are simply different theories to explain international trade. Trade is the concept of exchanging goods and services between two people or entities. International trade is then the concept of this exchange between people or entities in two different countries.
2. International Trade Theory
What is international trade?
– Exchange of raw materials and manufactured goods
(and services) across national borders
Classical trade theories:
– explain national economy conditions--country
advantages--that enable such exchange to happen
New trade theories:
– explain links among natural country advantages,
government action, and industry characteristics that
enable such exchange to happen
Implications for International Business
3. Classical Trade Theories
Mercantilism (pre-16th century)
– Takes an us-versus-them view of trade
– Other country’s gain is our country’s loss
Free Trade theories
– Absolute Advantage (Adam Smith, 1776)
– Comparative Advantage (David Ricardo, 1817)
– Specialization of production and free flow of goods
benefit all trading partners’ economies
Free Trade refined
– Factor-proportions (Heckscher-Ohlin, 1919)
– International product life cycle (Ray Vernon, 1966)
4. The New Trade Theory
As output expands with specialization, an
industry’s ability to realize economies of scale
increases and unit costs decrease
Because of scale economies, world demand
supports only a few firms in such industries (e.g.,
commercial aircraft, automobiles)
Countries that had an early entrant to such an
industry have an advantage:
– Fist-mover advantage
– Barrier to entry
5. New Trade Theory
Global Strategic Rivalry
– Firms gain competitive advantage trough:
intellectual property, R&D, economies of
scale and scope, experience
National Competitive Advantage
(Porter, 1990)
6. Mercantilism/Neomercantilism
Prevailed in 1500 - 1800
– Export more to “strangers” than we import to amass
treasure, expand kingdom
– Zero-sum vs positive-sum game view of trade
Government intervenes to achieve a surplus in exports
– King, exporters, domestic producers: happy
– Subjects: unhappy because domestic goods stay
expensive and of limited variety
Today neo-mercantilists = protectionists: some
segments of society shielded short term
7. Absolute Advantage
Adam Smith: The Wealth of Nations, 1776
Mercantilism weakens country in long run; enriches only a few
A country
– Should specialize in production of and export products for which it
has absolute advantage; import other products
– Has absolute advantage when it is more productive than another
country in producing a particular product
Rice
CocoaG
G'
K
K'
G: Ghana
K: S. Korea
8.
9. Comparative Advantage
David Ricardo: Principles of Political Economy, 1817
Country should specialize in the production of those
goods in which it is relatively more productive... even
if it has absolute advantage in all goods it produces
Absolute Advantage is a special case of
Comparative Advantage
Rice
CocoaG
K
K' G'
G: Ghana
K: S. Korea
10.
11. Heckscher (1919)-Ohlin (1933)
Differences in factor endowments not on differences
in productivity determine patterns of trade
Absolute amounts of factor endowments matter
Leontief paradox:
– US has relatively more abundant capital yet imports
goods more capital intensive than those it exports
– Explanation(?):
• US has special advantage on producing new products
made with innovative technologies
• These may be less capital intensive till they reach mass-
production state
12. Theory of Relative Factor Endowments
(Heckscher-Ohlin)
Factor endowments vary among countries
Products differ according to the types of factors that
they need as inputs
A country has a comparative advantage in producing
products that intensively use factors of production
(resources) it has in abundance
Factors of production: labor, capital, land, human
resources, technology
13. International Product Life-Cycle (Vernon)
Most new products conceived / produced in the US in 20th
century
US firms kept production close to their market initially
• Aid decisions; minimize risk of new product introductions
• Demand not based on price; low product cost not an issue
Limited initial demand in other advanced countries initially
• Exports more attractive than overseas production
When demand increases in advanced countries, production
follows
With demand expansion in secondary markets
• Product becomes standardized
• production moves to low production cost areas
• Product now imported to US and to advanced countries
14.
15. Classic Theory Conclusion
Free Trade expands the world “pie” for goods/services
Theory Limitations:
Simple world (two countries, two products)
no transportation costs
no price differences in resources
resources immobile across countries
constant returns to scale
each country has a fixed stock of resources and no efficiency
gains in resource use from trade
full employment
16. New Trade Theories
Increasing returns of specialization due to economies
of scale (unit costs of production decrease)
First mover advantages (economies of scale such that
barrier to entry crated for second or third company)
Luck... first mover may be simply lucky.
Government intervention: strategic trade policy
17. National Competitive Advantage
(Porter, 1990)
Factor endowments
• land, labor, capital, workforce, infrastructure
(some factors can be created...)
Demand conditions
• large, sophisticated domestic consumer base: offers an
innovation friendly environment and a testing ground
Related and supporting industries
• local suppliers cluster around producers and add to
innovation
Firm strategy, structure, rivalry
• competition good, national governments can create
conditions which facilitate and nurture such conditions